There's no need to ever feel left out again
at the water cooler conversation. Here's a rundown of the stories currently
trending in the world, the country and your backyard.

Yahoo

North Korea
threatens nuclear strike: Angry over United Nations sanctions to be voted
on today, North Korean leaders say they are ready to launch a pre-emptive
nuclear strike against the United States. The country's leaders say it is considering
the strike to "destroy the strongholds of the aggressors." Full story: The Associated Press

Hollywood in mourning: Two of Hollywood's
heavy hitters have expressed sympathy at the passing of Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez. Actor Sean Penn and director Oliver Stone both released condolence
messages following Chavez's death on Tuesday at the age of 58. Said Penn, "Today
the people of the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor
people around the world lost a champion." Full story: ABC News

View full sizeSen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., leaves the floor of the Senate after his filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Thursday, March 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

And he went on, and on, and ... : In
what most of us have only seen in the movies (rent "Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington"), Sen. Rand Paul took the floor of the U.S. Senate and refused to yield
it for nearly 13 hours in a talking filibuster over the nomination of John
Brennan to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Paul ended the filibuster
shortly after midnight this morning. While Paul held the floor for 12 hours and
52 minutes, it wasn't a record. That belongs to Strom Thurmond who spoke for a
little more than 24 hours in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Full
story: The Associated Press

Google

House votes to keep Washington open:
The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would keep the
government running through September. If the Senate does not pass the bill, money to fund the government will run out
on March 27. The vote was
along party lines, 267-151. Full story: The Associated Press

Catching a quick bite: President Barack Obama
invited 12 Republican senators out to dinner at a Washington hotel Wednesday
night. According to sources, the dinner table discussion centered on combining lower
tax rates with entitlement reforms to
address some of the more pressing budget issues. No word on the cost of the
dinner or what was on the menu, only that the president paid for it out of his
own pocket. Full story: The Associated Press

Sad news: Actress Valerie Harper announced
Wednesday that she has terminal brain cancer. Harper, who stared as Mary Tyler
Moore's best friend Rhoda Morgenstern in the "Mary Tyler Moore Show," and later
in her own series "Rhoda," says she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer
that attacks the membranes that surround the brain. Harper is 73. Doctors have
given her three months to live. Full story: The Los Angeles Times

YouTube

While this video has been around for a couple of years, it has been trending in the past few days and has around 600,000 hits. It's obvious this pooch is feeling pretty bad, but what a face.

It called the "Elevator Murder Experiment," and it's a promotion for the new movie "Dead Man Down." It asks an interesting question -- what would you do?

Al.com

Not for the new law: An NRA-backed concealed
carry permit law passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, but has few supporters
among law enforcement officials in the state. The bill would take away a law enforcement
officer's discretion in issuing conceal carry permits.

Considering
seniority: Speaking of bills, a bill in the Alabama Senate would prohibit a school system from
considering seniority should it have to reduce its workforce and layoff
teachers. According to Sen. Bryan Taylor, R-Prattville, his bill points out
that the length of time a teacher is employed has nothing to do with his or her
ability to teach.

Stevie and the Harlem Shake: More acts have
been announced for the 2013 Hangout Music Fest set for May 17-19
in Gulf Shores. Stevie Wonder will be performing in the annual music festival
on the beach, as will the creators of "Harlem Shake," the song that has led to those
annoying popular viral dance videos. Already announced acts for the fest include
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and the Kings of Leon.